Throughout the month of August, CSEA members joined with fellow union and community members at 19 regional town halls across Connecticut. The focus was clear: lawmakers must come back into special session this fall to pass progressive revenue reform and protect our state from devastating federal cuts.

At each town hall, participants spoke directly with their state legislators about the urgent need to fix Connecticut’s broken revenue system. With billions of dollars in federal cuts looming, families across the state face the threat of reduced access to health care, higher property taxes, and fewer public services. 

Members called for bold, fair solutions that ask the wealthiest individuals and corporations to pay their share so that Connecticut can protect public services, invest in our communities, and build long-term stability.

These conversations were not abstract policy debates—they were rooted in real stories of hardship and resilience. Childcare workers spoke about the crisis parents and providers are facing, paraeducators spoke about classrooms being stretched too thin, retirees raised concerns about protecting Social Security and Medicare, and state employees shared firsthand accounts of the staffing crises undermining critical services.

Legislators left these conversations with a clear understanding that their constituents are demanding action. The momentum built in August now sets the stage for a crucial fall—one where we must keep the pressure on to ensure lawmakers deliver real, lasting progressive revenue reform. And with a hard deadline of November 1st to allocate $600 million before it’s automatically siphoned into pension debt, the urgency could not be greater.